Chiropractor's role and patient compliance to health promotion advice: User's perspective

OBJECTIVES

Health care provider's recommendation has been shown to be a predictor of future healthy behaviors. Patient adherence to these recommendations, however, may differ by health care professional type. We explored the use of health promotion recommendations and patients' compliance by United States' chiropractors and medical doctors.

METHODS

Multiple logistic regression models were used for analyses of data from the Sample Adult Core component of the 2006 National Health Interview Survey (n=24,275). Analyses were performed separately for recommendation and compliance of weight loss, increase in exercise and diet change by health profession subtype (chiropractor and medical doctor).

RESULTS

Chiropractors gave health promotion recommendations to 20.9% (n=87) of the 417 patients they saw exclusively from medical doctors. The overall compliance rate to these recommendations by patients was 89.6% (n=78). Meanwhile, the medical doctors' recommendation rate was 38.9% (n=5502) of the 14201 patients they saw exclusively from chiropractors; with the patients' compliance rate of 88.15% (n=4850). Chiropractors were less likely to advice patients compared to medical doctors [adjusted OR(95%CI=0.38(0.30,0.50)]. In general, patients who received and complied with health promotion advice from their health care provider were more likely to report improved health status [adjusted OR(95%CI=1.21(1.10,1.33)] compared with those who did not comply.

CONCLUSION

Chiropractors in the United States give health promotion recommendation to their patients but are less likely to do so than general medical doctors. Patients tend to comply with health providers' recommendations and those who do tend to experience better health.